A very difficult one to pick as there have been so many good species including 5 new macro and 7 new micro moths for VC57 Derbyshire. There were three new species of Clearwing, including Orange-tailed, Red-belted and amazingly Welsh, Breckland Plume, Rosy Footman and Fleabane Drab, all incredible records. I’ve gone for Dotted Fan-foot, but […]
I ran my 20W actinic light from my garden in Melbourne overnight on 28th June 2026. Results are as follows in no particular order – Riband Wave (12); Swallow-tailed Moth (2); Large Yellow Underwing (1); Pine Hawk-moth (1); Elephant Hawk-moth (1); Least Carpet (1); Dusky Sallow (1); Common Footman (7); Scalloped Oak (2); Uncertain-Rustic agg
During our first Moth Survey at Calke Park, Explorer, NT on Thursday 18th June 2026, our team of recorders, Graham Finch and Sean Browne, recorded a total of 840 moths of 149 species. Whilst processing the final micro moths, two new species for VC57 Derbyshire were discovered and identified by Gen Det examination performed by
I ran my 20w actinic moth trap overnight on 20th June 2026 in my Melbourne garden – results are as follows in no particular order – Large Yellow Underwing (4); Riband Wave (7); Willow Beauty (8); Chrystoteuchia culmella (Common Grass Moth) (1); Crambus pasquella (White-banded Grass Moth) (8); Short-cloaked Moth (6); Scarce Footman (1); Common Footman
Overnight on 15th June 2026 Dave Evans was moth trapping at Darwin Forest, near Matlock. Whilst processing the moth trap on the morning of 16th June 2026, Dave discovered a new micro moth species for VC57 Derbyshire, Cydia conicolana (Pine Nut Moth). The moth is known as a local and nationally scarce resident across parts
I ran my 20w Actinic Skinner Moth Trap from my Melbourne garden overnight on 8th June 2026 – Results as follows in no particular order. A cold, windy and clear night resulted in a very poor return – Heart and Dart (11), Buff Ermine (2) (NFY), Vine’s Rustic (1); Large Yellow Underwing (1), Cinnabar Moth
A first record for VC57 Derbyshire of Pammene obscurana (Birch Catkin Tortrix) was discovered by Steve Orridge in his Buxton garden moth trap, whilst using the TIP pheromone lure on 25/5/2026 The species is a CAT4 which means it can only be positively identified by scientific examination. The specimen was identified by Gen Det analysis
During late May there was an unprecedented influx of migrant moths into Britain. The influx comprised of a wide range of species primarily Striped Hawk-moth, Small Mottled Willow, Bordered Straw and Eastern Bordered Straw to name a few. This paved the way for Derbyshire “moth-ers” to be in with a chance of recording one or
I ran my 20 actinic moth trap from my garden in Melbourne, Derbyshire overnight. Results are, in no particular order, as follows – Star moth was a Small Marbled (5th record for Derbyshire, (with another trapped in Belper this am); Varied Coronet; Silver Y (2); Epiphyas Postvittana (Light Brown Apple Moth); Plutella xylostella (Diamond-back Moth)
News broke today of a rather special species of Hawk-moth that has arrived in large numbers across Britain during the recent hot weather that has moved up from North Africa. I was wondering when Derbyshire would get one. William Grange was the fortunate moth recorder, he recorded a Striped Hawk-moth that had been attracted to
I ran my 20W Actinic moth trap from my garden in Melbourne overnight on 26th May, results are as follows in no particular order – Common Swift – female (1); Buff-tip (1); Small Elephant Hawk-moth (1); Marbled Minor agg (3); Middle-barred Minor (3); Ruby Tiger (2); Vine’s Rustic (4); Shuttle-shaped Dart (1); Heart and Dart
I ran my 20W actinic moth trap in my garden in Melbourne from 21:30hrs to mid-night on 24th May 2026. The results in no particular order were as follows – Aphomia sociella (Bee Moth) (4);Epiphyas postvittana (6); Mint Moth; Heart and Dart; Iron Prominent; Pale Tussock; Common Pug; Brindled Pug (2) Common Wainscot; Turnip Moth;
I ran my 20W Actinic Moth Trap overnight on 22nd May in my Melbourne garden – Results were in no particular order – Brimstone Moth (2); Epiphyas postvittana (Light Brown Apple Moth) (7), Common Pug (3), Lime-speck Pug (2), Plutella xylostella (Diamond-back Moth( (3), Shuttle-shaped Dart (6), Flame Shoulder (2); Heart and Dart (3), Vine’s
News broke across the Derbyshire moth-ing media on 23rd May 2026 when one of our recording team members posted a photograph of what he thought was Phtheochroa schreibersiana (Gold Cloak) a really rare species of Tortrix. Dave Newcombe, from Belper, had trapped a single individual overnight on 22nd May in his garden MV Light trap
May has been a particularly cold month with overnight temperatures fluctuating between 5℃ – 8℃ on most nights, which of course has lead to much reduced moth trapping and numbers of moths being recorded. I put my 20w Actinic out for the first time in May and recorded only two moths between 21:45 and 23:45
April’s moth of the month is a micro moth that was last recorded in Derbyshire on 5th June 1971 from Via Gellia. Hysterophora maculosana (Small Bluebell Beauty) was recorded by Dave Evans whilst he was sweep-netting in a Bluebell Wood at Wyver Lane NR, Belper on 29th April 2026. The moth is highly dependant on
I ran my 20W Actinic moth trap in my garden overnight 16th April 2026 in Melbourne. Results were as follows: Psychoides filicivora (Common Fern Moth) (NFG, NFY) (2); Purple Thorn (NFY) (1); Waved Umber (NFY) (1); Streamer (1); Brindled Pug (1); Common Pug (NFY) (1); Hebrew Character (1). 8/7
Identification Guidance for Oak-tree Pug v Brindled Pug by Christian Heintzen. Here is a quick panel made from my own photographs to illustrate some of the differences between Oak-tree Pug and Brindled Pug. The key differences are well documented in various printed and online sources but I thought, aside from other distinguishing features, there are
The Derbyshire Moth Team have taken on a new challenge. We have been invited by the National Trust Rangers at Hardwick Hall to help them conduct moth surveys, within the grounds of the Hardwick Estate, throughout 2026. The first session took place last night (10th April 2026) when the “Hardwick Hall Moth Team” ran three
I ran my 20W Actinic moth trap overnight 7th April 26 from my garden in Melbourne – Results were Pine Beauty 1; Least Black Arches 1; Early Tooth-striped 1; Streamer 1; Oak-tree Pug 2; Brindled Pug 1 were all NFY, also Double-striped Pug 8; Hebrew Character 4; Common Quaker 3; Early Grey 2 Brindled Beauty
This month’s moth of the month is a micro and one that hasn’t been recorded in Derbyshire since 2011. Semioscopis avellanella (Early Diviner) was first recorded in VC57 Derbyshire on 11th March 2011, when one was attracted to MV light at Shiningcliffe Wood, Ambergate, (extract from DaNES Journal 169, 2019 page 48). It is a
